The present invention relates to a frame. More particularly, the present invention relates to a frame for temporary installation in a trunk that opens into the passenger compartment of a vehicle.
In a vehicle having an open trunk, which is situated behind the rear seats and passes over into the passenger 10 compartment, conventional trunk covers merely close the trunk temporarily. In this context, xe2x80x9ctemporarily closablexe2x80x9d should be understood to mean that the covers are removable or that, for example, they are pivoted for loading and unloading the trunk. For example, such trunk covers are described in European Published Patent Application No. 0 556 100, German Published Patent Application No. 298 19 322, German Published Patent Application No. 42 43 192, European Published Patent Application No. 0 761 503, and German Published Patent Application No. 93 13 436. In general, all of these covers are in the form of closed plates or troughs, the troughs being closable at the top. These covers are relatively bulky, and, when they are removed or folded up, they can only be stowed in the trunk in a complicated manner that takes up a large amount of storage space.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cover for a trunk that is easily and compactly storable in the truck when the cover is not needed or not desired. In the covering position, the cover may form a visibility prevention cover and may be usable as a support or carrier for objects to be laid down in the trunk. The cover may be rigid, and the truck may be loadable on two levels.
The above and other beneficial objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a frame as described herein.
The present invention is based on the principle of being able to temporarily install a frame in the upwardly pointing opening of the trunk, the frame enclosing the entire opening in order to be able to place variably insertable parts inside the frame. In interaction with each other, the inserted parts should partially or completely cover the trunk, the cover being able to extend at the level of the rear-seat upper edge.
An example of parts that may be inserted into the frame includes removable cases. These cases may be supported directly in the frame, for which purpose snap fasteners or locking fasteners may be provided. However, it is also possible to attach a type of shield or screen having openings to the frame in order to insert parts into openings provided in the screen.
One advantage of the screen that may be used in accordance with the present invention is that it does not need to be self-supporting, but rather it obtains its load-carrying capacity in interaction with the frame. This arrangement allows the screen to be made of one material or made of separate parts, whereby it is possible to fold up or slide the screen material together. In this manner, the volume of the screen may be reduced in the removed state.
The frame itself may be constructed from interconnected parts, which may be moveable relatively to each other in the removed state, so that the volume of the frame may also be reduced in a simple and practical manner.
For example, the side regions of the frame may be releasably attached to the vehicle body inside the trunk. Snap fasteners or locking fasteners, of which many different forms suitable for fastening, may be used. The attachment to the side walls of the body may be accomplished so that the frame may swivel about a front, transverse axis, i.e., about a transverse axis arranged adjacently to the rear seats.
The frame may be attached directly to the rear seats. The frame may, in the storage position, be swung onto the back of the rear seats by folding it down. The arrangement of the rear seats may be such that receiving grooves are provided for storing the frame, i.e., folding the frame down, so that it is also possible for the rear surface of the rear seat to be smooth for the frame being in the folded-down position on the rear seats. If individually collapsible rear seats are provided in a vehicle, then a transverse separating device may be provided so that the frame may be reduced to sizes adapted to the individual rear seats.
In order to achieve the frame function of the present invention, a rod or a bar may be provided at both the rear and front ends of the trunk, in the transverse direction, and the rod or bar may be laterally and detachably supported at the body. The frame function is then provided by the body parts between the pivotal points of the rods. The rod facing the rear seat may also be attached to the rear seat itself instead of to the body.
The through holes in the frame or in a screen inserted into the frame may be covered by elastic material in the direction of the vertical vehicle axis. For example, this material may be in the form of a net.
The stretchable material in the opening of the frame or in the inserted screen may also be supported at the frame or screen in the form of a blind that may be rolled up in order to cover or expose the opening as desired.